Looking Forward to Winter

Though Autumn is my favorite season, I always look forward to winter. Not just because of the holidays and family gatherings it brings, but its the snow I love! I have always loved being outside in the snow. Hearing it crunch under your feet, investigating the shape and beauty of individual snowflakes. Most of all I love the way that blankets of snow make plants more beautiful. There is nothing quite like the sight of a towering Norway Spruce layered with perfect white snow, or the way ice forms on the red crabapples on the Sugar Tyme crab outside the office window. I love the way that fall and winter allow you to see the structure of trees, the branching in stark contrast to the empty sky.

After the glory of autumn has passed and the world begins to look a bit bleak, it is the snow that I await.

"I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the

bone structure of the landscape -

the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter.

Something waits beneath it,

the whole story doesn't show."

~Andrew Wyeth

Going Green Together

Presented in Five Parts

Part 5: Let it Rot!

Inevitably, every maintenance visit results with some sort of waste removal. All these branches, clippings, weeds and other debris adds up, resulting in a sizeable pile of waste which we must have hauled off. The disposal costs are passed along. But, what if we could return that waste to your garden? If you were willing to have an on-site composting area, the waste could be disposed of on-site; eliminating a waste removal fee. The compost created on-site could then be used in your garden to imiprove the organic component of the soil. Would you be willing to have an on-site compost bin? (to learn more about composting click here.)

Going Green Together

Presented in Five Parts

Part 4: Budget Busters

Annuals are striking attention grabbers, but they can also be budget busters. What if we limit annuals to only high traffic areas and containers? Areas which have been annuals in the past can be converted to shrubs, perennials and groundcovers. Though this may be more of an investment up front, it will save in the long run. Hardy shrubs, perennials, grasses and groundcovers can be used in seasonal containers and later planted in the landscape. What do you think of limiting areas of annuals?

Going Green Together

Presented in Five Parts

Part 3: Soil not Dirt!

Soil is the single most important component of a successful garden. Constuction and compaction injure the soil and are detrimental to any garden. Soils must be allowed to heal. This is done by improving organic matter and improving soil texture. Instead of trying to do this all at once, why not phase in new projects and allow the soil to recover over time. Plant materials can be strategically layered into the garden over time, this after all is nature's way. What are your thoughts on staging and phasing projects as to allow for soil improvement?

Going Green Together

Presented in Five Parts

Part 2: Be Patient

We have already discussed the importance of mulch as a necessary component of a successful garden. Perhaps we could benefit, both budget-wise and our garden, if we were more patient come spring. By allowing temperatures to warm up in spring, and waiting to mulch until May or June, we could greatly reduce the quantity of mulch we would need each spring. Plants would already have started growing and cover more area, therefore, reducing the amount of open space that would traditionally be mulched. Could you wait to have your garden mulched?

Going Green Together

Presented in Five Parts

Part 1: Mulching

Mulching is an essential component of any garden. It protects the soil from erosion, reduces soil compaction, retains moisture, maintains soil temperature and provides a completed look to the landscape. It is this last point which enduces us into re-mulching every spring, thereby leading to gardens being over-mulched. It may be our desire to rush spring along, by brightening up our landscapes through new mulch each spring, whether needed or not. Perhaps we can freshen up the appearance of existing mulch rather than adding to an already adequate layer of it. Any thoughts?

Introducing...

The Scottish born naturalist, John Muir, once wrote, "When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world." It is this philosophy which compelled us to develop Kinghorn Habitats. Our native Nebraska landscapes define who we are and what we value most. In earlier centuries it was the Lakota Sioux who learned to live in harmony with the landscape of the Great Plains. The Lakota's embraced a holistic philosophy that all things are connected. We too, strive to reconnect with our natural heritage to fulfill our role as conservator's of today's Nebraska.

"It is in quest of this goal that we present Kinghorn Habitats, a palette of four native landscapes designed for carefree, contientious living. Soothing Savannah. Panoramic Prairie. Wonderous Woodlands. Redolant River Valley. Each carefully conceived to create the king of environment that inspires thoughts of native Nebraska...and dreams of living in seamless unity with the wider world."